Abandoned Newborn Found in Chesterfield County, SC

Chesterfield, SC – Chesterfield County officials have released the photo of a newborn found abandoned Tuesday as they continue to search for the girl’s mother.

The child, believed to be just days old, was found in a bathroom at the Chesterfield County Health Department. A health department staff member found the girl at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 30. The child is not believed to have been born at a hospital or other medical facility.

Once found, the child was taken to a local hospital. The baby girl has since been released from the hospital and is now receiving care from the Department of Social Services.

Since posting the story, the Chesterfield Police Department has received hundreds of calls from people concerned about the baby, but still have no leads.

“We have been searching for the baby girl’s mother, father or someone who may have information about this child,” Chesterfield Chief of Police Eric Hewett said Friday. “While this does not appear to qualify under Daniel’s Law for lawful surrender of the baby, we do want to find the child’s parents or anyone who has knowledge about this little girl.”

State law allows newborns to be surrendered at designated facilities but the child must be handed over to an employee. Since the law’s passing in 2000, 25 babies have been lawfully surrendered.

The Chesterfield Police Department is referring all adoption questions to the Department of Social Services. According to Chief Hewett, charges are not the main concern right now.

“There’s someone who was pregnant and now they are not anymore,” Hewett said. “This child deserves to know her heritage or where she came from. We also need to make sure the mother is okay.”

The South Carolina Department of Social Services is assisting. Anyone who has information about the child or her parents is asked to call 843-623-2419.